Tom Ketteridge has received the 2009 Housing Hero award from Twin Pines Housing Trust in White River Junction.
The award is given to those who have "gone above and beyond normal effort to provide for the basic human need of clean, safe and dignified shelter."
Until recently, Tom was Managing Director of The Upper Valley Haven, a homeless shelter in White River Junction.
He stepped down to work with a broader number of non-profit organizations as a CPA and board member.
Our friends at non-profit housing development organization Housing Vermont in Burlington are looking for a Project Manager.
Read more about the position at the Seven Days Web site. Or email [email protected].
The U.S. Department of Commerce reported sales of new homes were up 11 percent in June — the largest jump in more than eight years and well above the rise of 2.3 percent expected by analysts.
Resales of existing homes were up 3.6 percent in June, the third straight monthly increase.
“The evidence is clear that home buyers are taking advantage of Recovery Act tax incentives, declines in home prices and relatively low mortgage rates,” U.S. Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Rebecca Blank said.
“While the economic environment remains difficult, as more Recovery Act dollars hit the streets, we anticipate that it will further bolster the economy in the coming months.”
While last Friday's boost in the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour will help working Americans on the lower end of the pay scale, it still doesn't allow those people to afford decent housing.
According to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition's annual "Out of Reach" report, a household must earn $17.84 an hour to afford the national average two-bedroom "fair market rent" (FMR) of $928 a month.
According to the Coalition, "In no county in the U.S. can a full-time minimum wage worker afford even a one-bedroom apartment at the FMR."
With a minimum wage of $8.06 an hour, Vermont is one of 14 states with a minimum higher than the national.
Still, the gap for Vermonters between the minimum wage and fair market rent is substantial.